Butternut Squash and Tangelo Dip with Sage

Butternut squash is fantastic in all sorts of dips. Here, it's roasted with citrus and sweet spices to concentrate the flavor, then pureed and seasoned with minced fresh sage.

Total Time: 1:35

Cook: 0:25

Level:
Moderate

Yield:
2 1/2 cups

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Ingredients

1 butternut squash—peeled

1 tsp. tangelo or mandarin zest

1 tangelo or 2 mandarins

2 tbsp. unsalted butter

2 tbsp. honey

1 stick cinnamon

2 cardamom pods

1 star anise pod

1 small pinch of saffron threads

salt

Pepper

½ c. water

2 tbsp. fresh tangelo or mandarin juice

3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

2 tbsp. sage

hot paprika

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large baking dish, toss the squash with the tangelo zest and sections, butter, honey, cinnamon stick, cardamom, star anise and saffron and season with salt and pepper. Pour the water into the dish and bake for about 1 hour, until the squash is very tender and browned in spots; discard the spices.

Transfer the squash, tangelo sections and any pan juices to a food processor and let cool completely. Add the tangelo juice and 3 tablespoons of olive oil and pulse until nearly smooth. Stir in the sage and season with salt and pepper. Scrape the dip into a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and garnish with hot paprika.